Another successful meal thanks to MH & AR. I did a 5 lb whole chicken, spatchcocked, salted (didn't have time to dry brine) and then rubbed with Meathead's Memphis Dust.
I was running late so decided to do it on my gas grill instead of my kettle. I've not really been successful with chicken in the past (always some part of it undercooked, whether grilled or smoked). I was afraid this wasn't going to come out because I couldn't keep the temp down to 325. I've got 3 burners running vertically so I use the 2 outside and leave the middle off for the indirect cook. Problem is this grill is on its way out with several areas beginning to rust through, including apparently the underside of the left burner so I can't turn it all the way down.
Anyway, it ran around 350 with a small water pan and a chunk of cherry wood sitting above the left burner. In an hour everything I checked was over 165. Flipped it to the direct side to give the skin a little more crisp. Worked out really well. Dark and white meat both moist. GF, who wasn't thrilled at the idea of smoked chicken, said I found a recipe that she really liked. I was surprised how different MHMD tasted on chicken versus the pulled pork I did last weekend - the sweetness really came through. I think next time, in addition to a dry brine, I'll split the rub and put it both under and on top of the skin. You get bites of skin with the dark meat, but the breasts were so thick that there were bites without the rub. I'm also going to mix up some MHMD low-carb style with stevia and a lower carb brown sugar made with blackstrap molasses.
Looking at this photo, it's clear I need to work on my chicken cutting skills.
I was running late so decided to do it on my gas grill instead of my kettle. I've not really been successful with chicken in the past (always some part of it undercooked, whether grilled or smoked). I was afraid this wasn't going to come out because I couldn't keep the temp down to 325. I've got 3 burners running vertically so I use the 2 outside and leave the middle off for the indirect cook. Problem is this grill is on its way out with several areas beginning to rust through, including apparently the underside of the left burner so I can't turn it all the way down.
Anyway, it ran around 350 with a small water pan and a chunk of cherry wood sitting above the left burner. In an hour everything I checked was over 165. Flipped it to the direct side to give the skin a little more crisp. Worked out really well. Dark and white meat both moist. GF, who wasn't thrilled at the idea of smoked chicken, said I found a recipe that she really liked. I was surprised how different MHMD tasted on chicken versus the pulled pork I did last weekend - the sweetness really came through. I think next time, in addition to a dry brine, I'll split the rub and put it both under and on top of the skin. You get bites of skin with the dark meat, but the breasts were so thick that there were bites without the rub. I'm also going to mix up some MHMD low-carb style with stevia and a lower carb brown sugar made with blackstrap molasses.
Looking at this photo, it's clear I need to work on my chicken cutting skills.
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